“Indian ink manufacturers do not accept inferior materials”
Vinod Mehta of Mehta Chem and Mehta Petro Refineries.
25 Jun 2014 | 2898 Views | By PrintWeek India
What are the products you produce for the printing ink industry?
We are manufacturing various types of printing ink oils, aliphatic hydrocarbon solvents, aromatic hydrocarbon solvents, petroleum distillates, de-aromatise hydrocarbon solvents.
What new products has your company recently launched and what kind of inks do they produce?
We have launched low oder low VOC contained of solvent and widen our range of products and ink oils. They are widely used in offset inks, flexo gravure inks, can coating inks etc.
Are you seeing any difference/change in the buying pattern from Ink industry?
There is increase in demand and industry is now asking for variety of import equivalent different products.
What are the constraints of manufacturing/supplying raw materials?
The fluctuation in raw material prices due to volatility in crude prices and exchange rate are the biggest constraints.
Raw materials continue to be among the top cost pressures for small and midsized manufacturers, and the ability to manage these costs remains a top sourcing concern. How should the procuring company address this critical supply concern?
We believe that raw materials will always be the top cost pressures. We think we should analyse the pricing pattern and plan to procure raw material when they are at their lowest best price levels.
How are you impacted by the Government initiatives on FTA agreement with other countries in terms of exports or imports of your products or your raw materials?
It gives us opportunity to increase our exports and decrease reduce our imported raw material prices.
Has quality been sacrificed by specifying inferior, alternative materials or components? Are inkmakers approaching product design in a different way?
Indian ink manufacturers do not accept inferior materials.
What other factors, beyond price, should ink makers consider when choosing suppliers?
Inkmakers should always consider the suppliers’ quality, service, capacity and flexibility to supply.
Customers of printing ink manufacturer are looking for greener technologies, who in turn would demand raw material which will help them produce such products. How is your company meeting those needs?
We try our level best to manufacture products from the raw materials which are eco-friendly and safe which doesn’t harm the nature in any other ways.
Do you have any further expansion plan?
Due to increase in demand we are planning to set up a new plant in Dahej, Gujarat for manufacturing of printing ink oils, aliphatic hydrocarbon solvents, aromatic hydrocarbon solvents, petroleum distillates, de-aromatise hydrocarbon solvents etc.
Future plans? Does this include diversion into other segments of print i.e. manufacturing of printing inks?
Yes we would be introducing hydrocarbon resins to the market.
The article has been compiled by Noel D'cunha and was first published in Ink News